


Let Your Hair Down

by hanh410



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-06
Updated: 2013-12-06
Packaged: 2018-01-03 11:37:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1070015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanh410/pseuds/hanh410
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Domestic ficlet. They're renovating the mansion. While painting the walls of a room, Charles with his hair kept back with a bandana, catches Erik's attention with something he says. Erik can't help but feel a flutter in his chest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Your Hair Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [somerwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/somerwrites/gifts).



> I forgot to add this before. I owe this to my friend moncube, without whom I'd just give up days before the deadline.

Secret santa 3 (mansion renovation, Charles with a bandana, Erik’s heart flutters)

 

Summer was within view from the window of the Xavier Mansion. Every single plant on the grounds of the mansion were sprouting at full speed, as if making up for lost time. The vibrancy of the blooming life in the garden was something that Erik tried and failed miserably to enjoy. He couldn’t bring himself to care any further, since controlling the weather was not his specialty. He cursed the hideous summer, stopping when a soft call distracted him from his grumpy state.

“Erik.” Charles called, hugging a stack of their renovation plans to his chest as he arrived.

“Yes, Charles?”

“I know all the repairing work can be a bit exhausting, but please consider it part of your training,” assured Charles, and Erik knew his friend had casually picked up on his thoughts. Again.

He used to be annoyed that Charles casually picked up what he was thinking, but nowadays Erik would just let it go. Besides, he was occupied with the task at hand.

The summer heat could have been tolerable, had they had been able to laze around. But Charles had to choose this goddamn time of year to spruce up the mansion. And it wasn’t just one chamber, the telepath decided they needed to modernize the whole mansion and its ground, which meant every occupant in the house would be up to their ears with gutting, hauling, repairing or painting.

And Erik, naturally suited to manual labor due to the physical nature of his mutation, was assigned by Charles himself to follow him wherever he went, delivering wood, paint or steel to whichever room needed it. Later he was alsco scheduled to help assemble the highly technological systems under McCoy’s instruction.

“It’s alright.” Erik mumbled. “A little work isn’t much. I can take on more than this.”

“I’m sure you can, Erik.” Charles smiled, petting Erik’s forearm gently. “I know I can count on you.” Who was Erik to say no to that.

“Just consider it your way of helping to pay the rent” Raven joked yesterday. As much as he disliked her discourteous implication, Erik had to admit she had a point. Charles had done so much as to give them a place to stay, and the least he could do in return was help him renovate the mansion. If Charles wanted to enhance the living and training facilities for mutants, all the more Erik should support him.

However, his resentment against the summer heat stayed unshaken.

 

“It appears we will need more aluminum sidings on the second floor.”

Charles was going through his list, tucking a wayward lock of hair behind his ear, not bothering to look up. “And Raven is having trouble lifting the glass pane in the attic. We should give her a hand.”

“How about you give me a hand first?” Erik grunted, struggling to balance copper and steel pipes for the basement, a few metal bed frames as well as the aluminium sidings. His arms were numb and damp with sweat and also occupied with two buckets of wheat-coloured paint and a box of wallpaper.

The white polo was already glued to his back after a whole morning of running around the mansion there with Charles. They should have hired some professional agency because for goodness’s sake they were renovating a mansion. But Charles himself had told him that using his magnetic power to carry the materials around would be a rare and valuable chance to work on his endurance.

Charles was reaching down to retrieve the paint when he heaved out a cry. “No Erik! Not the wheat! Those are for kids’ room after we finish their quarters.” And before Erik could mutter a defensive gripe, Charles had effectively snatched the buckets from him and dashed towards the storage, leaving him rooted to his spot.

 

A few minutes later Charles returned with two buckets filled with cream beige Matte finish. Apparently Erik had made a mistake with the paint color and picked up the one for sleeping quarters.

The insipid paint however didn’t grab much of Erik’s attention when he was busy acknowledging Charles’ new adornment. His hair had been pulled back by a kerchief which covered up most of the top of his head. It was of red fabric, with black and white paisley patterns, which complimented Charles’ blue eyes very well.

Erik was astonished with how much a piece of accessory could change someone’s appearance. “You look different, Charles.”

“Different in a good way I hope?”

“Yes, I mean, it suits you well.” Confirmed Erik. Shouldn’t you already know what I’m thinking?

 _Yes, but it’s better to actually hear the compliment. Besides it’s not like I’m in your head all the time_. Came the answer.He could actually feel Charles’ grin in his head. _And thank you, Erik. That’s very nice of you._

Charles was very pleased with this piece of cloth. It dabbed away perspiration and sweated strands which always got in the way whenever he was working. His sister had recommended hairbands before, but hers were always too… feminine for his taste. The kerchief on the other hand was convenient. Elegant in style and efficiently covered his hair without hurting the back of his head. Perhaps he should consider using it more often in the future. And what’s more important is Erik thinks it suits him well.

 

“A maid gave it to me when I passed her along the way to the storage. It’s called ‘bandana’, or couvre-chef. Either way this is certainly the most ingenious way of using a...” Charles was explaining on their way upstairs, when suddenly the kerchief fell off his forehead to cover his eyes, making him miss a step.

“Charles!” Erik leaped forward to catch him, preventing him from falling down the staircase. Their legs stumbled back and forth before Erik leaned forward, regaining balance for the both of them.

“Charles.” He asked when there was no longer danger. “Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.” Charles caught his breath, his cheeks flushed ardently when realizing his hands had automatically clung onto the other’s arms. He straightened his pose and pulled the kerchief off to prevent further trouble. “Good thing you were here, Erik. Wait, the paint!?”

“I got them.” Two buckets Charles were holding floated in the air behind Erik, along with the box Erik himself was carrying earlier. Levitating them, Erik decided, was probably the safest.

“Oh Erik, what will I do without you?”

Probably end up down the staircase, but he just couldn’t give Charles even a bit of sarcasm after he’d had such heart-attack so he said instead, “It’s okay, you didn’t hurt yourself right?”

“Yes, all thanks to you, my friend”. Charles undid the kerchief and looked at it disappointedly, running a hand through his hair. “Oh bugger! And here I thought I could keep it in shape for a while.”

Erik found it difficult to see Charles’ disappointed face, it hurted him whenever those tender lips stretched to a peevish pout. He took the kerchief from Charles’ hand and told him, “Here, let me help you with it.”

“It’s okay Erik, you don’t have to.” came Charles’ bashful response. He reluctantly turned around when Erik kept on insisting.

Erik folded it to a triangle, placing the edge on Charles’ hairline, tracing down the back of his ears. Suddenly, Charles was conscious of how close they were. Standing so close, he could feel each breath puffing at his neck.

“It’s done.” He heard Erik say.

Charles turned around, unable to help his heart palpitating. Erik, like always, thoroughly bemused him with his instantaneous helping hand. One minute he was there, catching him when he might have fallen, the next he was standing behind his back fixing Charles’ hair. Here and now the sense of Erik’s breath lingering on his shoulder was burning like the summer fervid sunlight. And yet, it didn’t burn his skin, but filled his chest with warmness instead.

 

  



End file.
